This invention relates to apparatus for trimming an extrudate to a finished length, and more particularly to apparatus for trimming a thermoplastic pencil extrudate.
Pencils are now manufactured on a continuous basis by extruding a thermoplastic sheathing composition over a thermoplastic marking core. After leaving the extruder, the continuous extrudate is conditioned by being cooled in order to make the extrudate rigid, sized in order to obtain a uniform cross section, and smoothed to obtain a surface suitable for coating. The conditioned extrudate is then coated on a continuous basis, and then cut to roughly the finished length of a pencil. Because further processing steps necessary to complete the manufacture of a pencil are mechanized, it is essential for the rough-cut lengths to be trimmed to an exact length.